Big Brother producers have postponed Friday's eviction following a drunken row between contestants on Thursday.

Bosses decided to delay the eviction until next week to help cool the heated atmosphere inside the reality TV house.

Emma Greenwood and Victor Ebuwa, who had to be separated after the row, will get the chance to discuss their issues away from other contestants.

Thursday's 2200 BST Channel 4 show had an average audience of 6.2 million, the third largest audience this series.

But media regulator Ofcom received 87 complaints about Thursday's show.

Emma, who has been separated from the group in a nearby "bedsit", will be allowed to rejoin the other contestants if she and Victor can settle their differences.

The housemates are continuing to work through their differences

Channel 4

Student Vanessa Nimmo, 26, and hairdresser Daniel Bryan, 30, had been nominated for eviction before violent rows erupted in the early hours of Thursday.

Officers from Hertfordshire Police are now investigating after calls from viewers.

A Channel 4 statement said: "The housemates are continuing to work through their differences and producers wish to give them sufficient time to come to a resolution as a group."

This week's nominations for Daniel and Vanessa will still stand and votes will be carried over to next week. There will be no nominations next week.

Meanwhile, a criminologist who had agreed to act as a consultant to the show has quit after Thursday's fracas.

'Inappropriate'

Professor David Wilson was set to appear on Big Brother's weekly psychology programme.

A statement issued by the University of Central England in Birmingham said it would be "inappropriate" for the professor to continue to be associated with Big Brother due to the ongoing police investigation.

"As a result he has severed his connection with the show," it said.

Emma Greenwood has been removed from the main house

When the row erupted, producers sent in security guards to break up the fracas.

On Thursday, a Channel 4 spokesman said the housemates' welfare and safety was "our overriding concern".

"With that in mind, the production team decided to intervene last night at a point where they felt the confrontation between the housemates had reached an unacceptable level."

"Our on site security team defused the confrontation and the housemates were calmed down and sent to bed."